The Things We Notice When We Finally Slow Down
For most of my life, I have worked outdoors. I have spent mornings driving mountain roads before sunrise, afternoons walking through dense forests, and evenings watching weather patterns roll across ridgelines. My work has taught me many practical things about wildfire prevention, conservation, and land management. But some of the most valuable lessons had nothing […]
The Quiet Work of Forest Restoration: What Happens After the Headlines Fade
After the Fire Moves On When a wildfire makes the news, people see the same kinds of images. Smoke-filled skies, blackened hillsides, crews working through exhaustion, helicopters dropping water in long arcs over the landscape. Then, after a while, the story fades. What does not fade is the land itself. Long after the cameras leave, […]
What Wildfires Teach Us About Prevention, Patience, and Paying Attention Early
Reading the Early Signals I have spent most of my working life around forests in southern Oregon, and one thing becomes clear after enough seasons in the field. Wildfires rarely feel sudden if you know what to look for. The conditions build long before smoke appears on the horizon. Dry winters, low snowpack, early spring […]